A poll by the Forsa Institute  a German social research and statistical analysis body  has found that the country’s younger generation is far more likely to favor a switch to green energy.

The poll of 1,000 Germans aged 18 and over revealed that two-thirds of those aged 18-29 would be willing to switch to a provider of green electricity under the EEG, or Energiwende scheme.

In contrast, only 28% of those of pensionable polled would be willing to switch  some way below the national average of46%.

Currently, around 17% of German households are supplied by an electricity provider that deals exclusively in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, with the majority in this bracket aged between 45 and 59.

The poll suggests, therefore, that most of Germany’s more "right-on" youngsters have yet to make their own energy transition, which is probably more as a result of living arrangements than anything else.

Politically, the Forsa poll found that there was widespread support for the Energiewende across the political spectrum, with voters of the right-of-center CDU/CSU just as likely to support the EEG as voters of the left-of-center SPD, or even the Greens.

In terms of further education, the Forsa poll unsurprisingly revealed that those Germans to have studied for longer were 57% in favor of green power, compared to 44% in favor among the group that studied for a few years less.

Equally, higher earners were more favorable towards renewable energy than those on an average or below-average income.

Ian Clover

Ian joined the pv magazine team in 2013 and specializes in power electronics (inverters) and battery storage. Ian also reports on the UK solar market, having worked as a print and web journalist in Britain for various multimedia companies, covering topics ranging from renewable energy and sustainability to real estate, sport and film.More articles from Ian Clover

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